Page 80 of Soul of Thorns
“Because she is broken.”
“No,” I say, but my heart aches, and part of me wonders if he is right. She is broken, her heart has been broken for a full decade. But that can heal...
“She can’t ever accept love from you because she hasn’t forgiven herself.”
My heart sinks, realizing it’s true. She’s never felt hope for herself. She’s been so ready to die. Not because she doesn’t want to live, but because she thinks it’s what she deserves.
Caelynn
My feet pound on theashen ground, sprinting over the rubble.
Dark fluid flutters from the sky like flurries of snow, except instead of the gentle sting of frost, it’s the harsh bite of acid. The searing pain scatters over every inch of exposed skin, leaving red welts behind, but I clench my jaw and push through the discomfort.
The air is thick and hot, the poison in the atmosphere getting stronger. Will I even know it when I reach the place where a mortal cannot survive even an hour? Or was that an exaggeration? It hurts, but I’ve already been here for an hour.
Am I dying without even knowing it?
Will the Night Bringer even allow me to die this way? He needs me. She needs me.
I don’t know the answers to any of those questions—I only know what I must do.
Every lungful sends more pain cascading through my chest, but I don’t dare focus on that now.
Do you remember what it felt like?
I stumble but catch myself and continue running up the slope.
When I carved through your body? When I tortured you and ripped away your soul?
No!I roar in my own mind.You never took my soul.
Sick laughter—not my own—rumbles within my chest.No, I just gave you mine.
I hold back a whimper, tears stinging my eyes. “You can’t have me,” I whisper through quick breaths.
“What?” Darren demands.
